Cheers Orkie, my main moan is about my Sagem modem though. The printer thing is just a side issue, I am still here using XP and I feel dirty and cheap.

Have a look on www.google.com/linux and see if it is a winmodem. If it is, then chances are, it wont work, but you never know.

do you have your kernel-source package installed for that kernel:

rpm -qa kernel-source

post the output of the command above.

You don't say which sagem modem it is but I found this thread on the fast 800 which I think is the one your are referring to and the howto maybe helpful to you;

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...04/12/3/202072

My personal opinion if you are new to Linux then it could well be a nightmare for you. Since you live in the UK there are some very cheap ethernet based modem/routers available and they are dead easy to get going. Believe it not quicker and easier than M$.
If you have a look at the following link and look at the 4 port modem routers from Origo and Trust you cannot get cheaper;

http://www.planetmicro.co.uk/results...Modems&sort=az

I have an Origo which is now a year old and works flawlessly and at the price if it lasts me 2 years I would happy to go and buy another.
Re the printer - Lexmark are just hopeless with Linux. Go down to your local Cash Converters as they always have cheap HP Deskjets available which work very well. This is a thing about Linux look for and support manfacturers who support you. i.e. find out what works with Linux and then go find the cheapest price.

You know you don't have to make a script executable if you're going to use sh filename.sh to run it?

I gave up yesterday after all of those hours of trying, but this is the problem. How do I go about either installing the kernel-source package or finding out where it is (assuming it is in the wrong location)?

I didnt notice, thanks for pointing it out to me

It should be on your installation cds, but since it's suse personal edition it lacks a lot of developing tools like kernel headers and such, please correct me if i'm wrong.
However, if you find and install the kernel-source package that matches your kernel (by using YAST), it will create the appropiate folders where you need to copy the modem drivers.

Regards

Kernel source is usually installed to /usr/src/`uname -r` Just a FYI so you know where to look once it's installed

And just for the record, a lot of people have problems with RPM-based distrobutions like Suse, but it's a learning curve and if you stick with linux probably one you'll appreciate later on.

I feel like chiming in here:
regarding sound, you might find my ultra-shourt sound tutorial helpful: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=312948
at least it should get your mental model straight and tell you what to google for. also, if you use gstreamer, have a look at gstreamer-properties.

regarding running .exe-files:
whatever has been said about being a no-can-do applies to your situation, since it regards the kernel. However, for user-space programs, they can be emulated through wine (google for it, search the rpms for it, ...). It will not do the right thing for drivers (unless someone made a seriously bad call).

btw, £25 for a box is cheap
... unless it's just a cardboard box with a CD in it, in which case it's expensive: Ubuntu will give you CDs for free, including mailing it to you. That is: grand total = 0 (favorite currency); other distros (like debian) let you download CDs for free, or install by net (which, since you don't have net with your kernel) is not an option *now*.

Also, since net, sound and printer is the most difficult issue, I'd like to congratulate you on a pain-free install
I had trouble with both booting windows (when I still had it) and starting X.

regarding ease of installation for (user space) programs (especially), see http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...0&pagenumber=2
it really is easy, you just don't know it

I see you found your way to User CP -> Edit profile -> distro; perhaps you might want to include a little more info; something along the lines of "Suse Home 9.2 (kernel 2.6.4-52)"; since distro version number and kernel version number aren't tied together, you provide more info this way--it might be the crucial piece of the proverbial puzzle.

Oh, and welcome to LQ; I hope you get the help you need, and get many happy hours using GNU/Linux

hth --Jonas